Tuesday, March 19, 2013

THE PATRICK BATEMAN PARTY

You may have already read that Ted Cruz has gone beyond provocatively extremist ideological posturing and is now just being a dick:
In an unusual move, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) objected last week to a routine Senate resolution commemorating Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.

Congress passes hundreds of resolutions, meant to commemorate everything from a special awareness week or Little League champions. The resolutions lack any real power of law and are predominantly ceremonial....

In order to keep business moving and not clog the Senate floor, they are normally passed in bulk through a "unanimous consent agreement"....

But last week, Cruz objected to including the MS Awareness resolution. He was unhappy with a clause in the resolution describing the purpose of the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition, according to a Democratic staffer.

Cruz’s staff said the problem was timing.

"The Senator, like many of his colleagues, will not grant consent to call up and pass a resolution or bill at the last minute without time for review," spokesman Sean Rushton said in a statement....
Did he really object to the clause describing the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition? You mean this?
Whereas the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition's mission is to increase opportunities for cooperation and provide greater opportunity to leverage the effective use of resources for the benefit of the multiple sclerosis community
I assume that's what it was -- that's from the House version of the bill. I couldn't find the Senate version, but I assume it's identical, because why would you want to have wording differences in House and Senate versions of a bill that PASSES WITHOUT OBJECTION EVERY FREAKING YEAR?

Well, it was that or not getting to read the bill -- which, by the way, is a whopping 579 words, including the word "RESOLUTION" at the top. Still, it should have been treated just the wauy the Obamacare bill should have been treated! Seventy-two hours to READ THE BILL! (That allows a reading speed of approximately eight words an hour, or one word every seven and a half minutes.)

When I read American Psycho twenty years ago, it seemed to me that the pointwas "How blatant and outrageous do the crimes of Patrick Bateman before a numbed-out society will actually notice that he's committing them?" Tha's how the GOP appears to operate, at least at the Ted Cruz extremes. It's as if the ones in deep-red districts and states know that they can get away with anything, and not only will they delight their base, they'll never alienate enough voters in their district or outside to do serious harm to the conservative movement.

And given how much power the GOP still has, in D.C. and in the states, I'd say Bateman is still getting away with murder.

4 comments:

Victor said...

Well, now the Senate has its very own troll - Senator Cruz.

And it's appropriate that he comes from the same state that gave us a troll Presidential administration.

I'll say this much for Senator Cruz - he sure doesn't seem to mind showing everyone that he's both a dick, AND an asshole.

Most of the rest of the dicks and assholes in politics, try to at least disguise the fact that they're dicks and assholes.

NOT CRUZ!

He's out there waving his dick, and showing his ass, on the Senate floor, and for any TV camera that's pointed his way, at every opportunity.

Bulworth said...

The Iraq War ten years ago was this politics' coming out party. The war's architects are no doubt still surprised the media and much of the public could have been so easily bamboozled.

Now of course the logical conclusions to this politics of absurdiy is being witnessed in efforts to overturn the Voting Rights Act. And I still don't think the media or most of the country is paying much attention.

aimai said...

I agree with this analysis, Steve. Perhaps its just agreeing further to point out that Cruz is competing with Rand Paul to get the most free advertising. Its hard for a crusading young senator to get his head above the crowd and Paul has the advantage of his father and his father's fans plus the 13 hour filibuster. Basically these two guys are like competing car washes--if Rand Paul hires topless hookers to advertise by the side of the road you know that Cruz is going to hire bottomless ones.

Bluesborn said...

"..for the benefit of the multiple sclerosis community" Ah well there's your problem right there:the use of the word "community". The wing nuts HATE that word.I was going to suggest that this story would make for good ammunition when arguing with right wingers who don't think the GOP are being at all obstructive but let's face it:they can pretty much get away with murder and the party faithful won't so much as bat an eye.